It feel like we've known EastEnders' Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) since the dawn of time.
And while we know most things about him - his rocky romance with Kat Slater and his dodging dealing - one thing we've never really considered is his age.
Alfie first arrived in Walford in 2002 and he's been in and out of Albert Square ever since but it was just the other day that his age came to light and we're truly shocked.
Turns out, Alfie is a year older than Jean Slater (Gillian Wright).
No, really.
During Monday’s episode (1 May), Jean and Alfie were having a chin-wag when she turned around and said, "You’re only a year younger than me, Alfie. Although you act like a nine year old most of the time."
Err, what?
We were kinda shook and we weren’t the only ones, as one fan tweeted, "Hang on, Jean is only a year older than Alfie??”
Another commented, “Alfie is only 1 year younger than Jean?! Huh?!”
Someone else was ahead of the rest of us and added, "The way I legit forgot until this morning that Jean & Alfie are virtually the same age… #EastEnders".
According to The Sun, Alfie is about 59 or 60, meaning Jean is between 60 and 61 years old.
Absolute madness.
However in real life Shane is 59 (he was born on 11 March 1964) and Gillian is 63 (her birthday is 5 May 1960).
Is Alfie Moon leaving EastEnders?
It looks like Alfie is here to stay. Though he has departed a few times over the years, Shane seemed keen to make Walford his home permanently once more.
He said that when he returned this time around, there was “a sense of community".
“It’s strange, it's very different now. When I left four years ago I came in to do a storyline where I had to get pushed down the stairs and I left to go and do something else," he told Digital Spy.
“I do a lot of theatre and touring with theatre companies around the West End and there is a sense of community and turning up here, the cast and the producers, the directors, writers, there's a real sense of theatre community here.
“I’ve come back [and] I feel I'm part of something that's so strong at the moment.”
Is Alfie Moon Tommy's dad?
Not biologically, but he adopted and helped raise him.
Tommy’s biological dad is Alfie’s cousin Michael Moon, who his then-wife Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) had an affair with. Michael died in 2013 after being stabbed by Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) and Alice Branning (Jasmyn Banks).
How many kids does Alfie Moon have?
He has three biological children: twins Bert and Ernie with Kat, and Cherry with Kat’s cousin Hayley Slater (Katie Jarvis).
He adopted Tommy and is the stepdad of Kat’s daughter Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) and ex-wife Roxy Mitchell’s (Rita Simons) daughter Amy Michell (Ellie Dadd).
Where did Alfie Moon go?
The dopey, Goofy-like character has departed the soap a few times over his 20 years in Albert Square. He first left in 2005 with Kat to drive across America. After returning in 2010, he then left in 2016 alongside Kat to find her son in Ireland.
Fast forward a few years and he returned to Walford again after getting Kat's cousin Hayley pregnant. However in 2019, he left the Square when he faked his own death after stealing £50k from Kat’s now husband Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden).